


Solitude

by aceofw



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-24 04:33:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21332326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceofw/pseuds/aceofw
Summary: Kara has a plan to rebuild her relationship with Lena.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 2
Kudos: 154





	Solitude

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, so suggestions and criticism are welcomed.

"Do you trust me?"

It's a harder question to answer than Lena expected. If asked several months ago, her answer would've been an adamant "Of course, with my life." If asked several weeks ago it would've been a bitter "How dare you speak to me about trust?"

But now? Now after all the lies and deceit that she didn't believe anything between them could survive? But despite everything that's happened the fact remains Kara is still here, standing in her apartment on a Friday afternoon. The superhero is currently standing awkwardly in the middle of her living room, holding a black duffel bag. And Lena is at loss, she can believe Kara is a good person, someone who cares. But even good people can still hurt you, even good people lie. What will Kara's next lie be? Will Supergirl go behind her back again? Now that the secret of her identity is out can she be trusted? Or are there more secrets yet to be revealed?

So Lena does what any scientist should do - she considers the alternatives.

What if she refuses to extend her trust again? Holds on to her anger? In her mind she hears a voice shout "He is NOT the man of tommorow! I AM!", she remembers the sun burning red and the screams, and her own desperate pleas. The image of her brother's body is seared into her mind, bleeding on the floor, two bullet holes in his chest.

"I'm not my brother, I'm not" she thinks to herself. For all of her sins, that is the one Lena vowed to herself she would never commit. And so, Lena makes her decision.

"All right, I'm trusting you on this secret trip you want to take me to."

"It's not a secret, it's a surprise! There's a difference." The blond's face begin to fall into a familiar pout, but she quickly sobers "But if you want to know, I'll tell you. We're going to..."

"It's fine Kara, I told you I'm coming with you."

Kara's face brightens and a smile replaces the anxious line of her lips "Great! That's great! Um... here! You're gonna need to wear these."

Out of the mysterious black duffel bag Kara takes out winter boots, thick gloves, a beanie, and a snowsuit, all of which are black and thus presumably burrowed from the DEO. Lena arches an eyebrow in question "It's for the flight." Kara explains "And it's gonna be cold where we're going, for a little bit. I just want to make sure you're comfy and safe." Lena rolls her eyes but puts the snow suit over her clothes, trades her heels for the boots and dons her beanie and gloves.

"May I?" Kara holds out one last item, a knitted wool scarf of blue and red, with a yellow "S" near the end, Lena nods. "Eliza made it for me." Kara explains while she carefully wraps the scarf around Lena's neck. As Kara lingers a moment in front her, and Lena swears it's the heavy clothes that cause warmth to wash over her body rather than the gentle look in Kara's eyes. And then Kara is gone in a blur of super speed to stand on the balcony, arms outstretched "Ready?"

Kara picks up Lena in her arms and begins to float upwards, speeding as pass the skyscrapers' roofs. Lena can see the breathtaking view of sunset over the ocean, though the sight is tainted by a spike of dread, she hates flying.

"Being carried by a kryptonian is probably the safest way to fly." She tries to calm her nerves. Supergirl is faster than a jet fighter, strong enough to lift a jumbo. Kara wouldn't let her fall.

As if sensing her distress, Kara tightens her grip around Lena. "I'm flying slower than usual, and extra smooth, but it means we'll take a little longer to get there. Just close your eyes and try to sleep."

Lena tries to follow Kara's advice, and as time passes she is grateful for her warm outfit, but her face still feel the chill. Lena turns her face towards Kara and presses closer, breathing in and out, contemplating Kara's strangely calming scent - a mix of sweet donuts and the earthly smell of rain.

***

"Lena... Lena... Wake up sleepy head..." Lena wakes up to a alien landscape: a blue-white plain of ice and snow stretches as far as the eye can see, illuminated by shimmering ribbons of colored light in the night skies. Behind them is a sheer wall of ice.

It takes a moment for her cobwebbed mind to catch up "The arctic... Superman's secret base." She gasps, the cold air entering her lungs snapping her fully awake.

"Yep! You guessed it!" Kara grins "Can you stand? I need both hands to get the key." Lena stumbles a bit as her feet sink into the snow, though Kara's hands around her middle keep her upright. She stares as Kara sends a blast of heat vision into a nearby mound of snow, then grunts as she lift a huge key-looking object "Rao, Kal! Did you had to make it so gosh darn heavy" the kryptonian grumbles as she slams the key into a hole in the ice wall, causing a section of it to open. Supergirl throws the key aside and hides it again with a quick gust of ice-breath. "Come on, let's get you out of the cold."

Lena wasn't sure what to expect, but as they enter the fortress, what she discovers is awe inspiring.

A pair of tall statues, a man and a woman standing beneath a star-like orb, extend welcoming hands. "These are Kal's parents, Jor-El and Lara" Kara explains. Behind them stretches a seemingly endless hall. She can see many strange alien artifacts and a number of what seems to workstations scattered about, the light emanating from icy and crystalline growths that make up the walls and dot the floor. The air is also noticeably warmer, much to Lena's relief.

A moment later a strange robot shaped as a humanoid torso moves towards them, its lifelike motion and ability to hover draw her attention and she makes a mental note to herself to explore such technology.

"Welcome home mistress Kara!" It greets the kryptonian "And who is your guest?" Kara smiles back at the robot "Hi Kelex, good to see you again. This is Lena Luthor..."

Kelex drifts backwards, crossing his arms on his chest, staring his head at Lena "I must warn you Kara, members of the house of Luthor have proven hostile and an extreme threat..." He begins, his accusations, true as they may be, cause Lena to wince.

"STOP!"

Kara shouts, moving to stand between the two, her back straight and her hands on her hips. To Lena, she seems as tall and cold as the statues

"I am Kar Zor-El, last daughter of the noble house of El. By my authority I grant Lena Luthor full and complete access to the fortress. And you, caretaker Kelex, will treat her as if she is a member of the house of El herself!" She says, her chest heaving in anger.

Kelex deflates and drops his head, his arms falling to his sides. A moment later he looks back up "Welcome mistress Lena, please forgive my earlier comments. How may I assist you?" "It's fine, no harm done." Lena assures the robot she now believes to actually be an AI. She looks to Kara "What are we doing here?"

Kara hesitates before answering, and then her words spill forth in a rush "Well, we both lied and kept secrets from one another, and those lies and secrets caused a lot of pain to us both. But you're still my best friend and you mean so much to me and I can't lose you. So I kept thinking about how I can make it right, and the I realized I can't, I can't un-tell a lie. And then it hit me that the only way is to start again, but this time with the truth." Kara pauses to take a deep breath "Hello Lena, my name is Kara Zor-El. I was born on the planet Krypton, and my parents sent me to earth before it was destroyed. In this place are artifacts and archives from Krypton, please feel free to look around and ask any question that comes to mind either of me or Kelex."

Lena is dumbfounded.

"Lena? Please say something."

"You don't have to do this Kara."

"Yes, I do. I want to earn back your trust: You already know Kara Danvers, now you can learn about Kara Zor-El and where she came from. For yourself, not from Lex or even from me. And then you'll know the whole of me." Lena can barely think, the chance to discover firsthand an ancient and highly advanced civilization is a priceless gift. After all, knowledge is what Lena always valued the most, the only thing that could be truly hers. Or at least used to, until she moved to national city and met an aspiring young reporter.

"Thank you." Lena says quietly, as Kara's expression change from hopeful to delighted.

***

"So, where should I start?" Lena asks "Wherever you want. Oh! Kelex, please keep her away from anything harmful to humans, she can get a little careless" Kara smirks. "If I may make a suggestion, please follow me" Kelex leads them to a holographic display of a solar system, a red star at it's center. He points to a blue-white planet "This is the planet Krypton, orbiting the star, Rao" "Isn't Rao your deity?" Kara interjects as she comes to stand behind Lena "He is. We believe Rao, our red sun, is the god that gave Krypton and its people life. In death he guides our souls to the afterlife, we worship him through prayer, meditation and a number of holidays and festivals."

"You're religious?" Lena asks in surprise "I haven't practiced properly since... For a long time. But I still Believe, the faith is a part of me." They stand in silence for a moment before Kelex continues "Krypton's largest moon, Wegthor..."

And so a pattern emerges, Lena asks her questions as they come, Kelex provides an overview of the subject, and occasionally Kara shares a story of her own.

When asking about the Planet's fauna, Kara tells of a time her father took her camping in the wastes cataloging the beasts they observed. When Lena asks about Krypton society she mentions her preparation to enter the science guild, even though she secretly wanted to become a judicator like her mother, A question about education invokes a tale of her aunt Astra teaching her to stand against the class bully. Lena loses track of time as she become absorbed in dicovering all that she can about krypton in general, and learning about one Kryptonian in particular. She is so engrossed it takes her a shamefully long time to notice how Kara's voice grows weaker, and it isn't until it's finally becomes a whisper too low to hear that she turns to Kara.

Kara is crying, her eyes red and tear tracks run down her face.

"Kara I am so, so sorry. I didn't think..."

"No, no, it's fine!" Kara sniffs loudly, then wipes her face with her hands, and her hands down her cape "See? All good!" She smiles, though crookedness of it raises Lena's eyebrow.

"I mean it, yes it's a little sad, but there are also a lot of happy memories I thought lost. I never really spoke to anyone like this."

Lena is surprised "What about Alex? Your cousin?"

"Alex tried when we were young, but the pain was too raw, too fresh, and after a while she stopped trying. She wanted to protect me, even from my own pain. And Kal? I love him and I know he cares, but earth will always be his true home. He learned from the archives, and to him it was always some distant past, he couldn't understand I'm still living with it every day." Lena hesitates "If it's too painful we should stop."

Kara reaches out takes Lena's hands in hers "It's different with you, Lena. You're not like anybody else, You don't ask for the sake of my pain, because you think 'I should talk about it'. You ask because you value the knowledge, it's an honest kind of curiosity."

"You don't know what it means to me, to be able to share who I am freely without judgement or pity. To just be myself." Lena lowers her head as she feels her own eyes become wet, at a loss for words. Wandering at their still clasped hand, her eyes fall on her watch.

"Holy shit Kara, it's after 1am, I had no idea how late it's gotten."

"I could fly you back, or..."

"Or?"

"Or you could stay, there are rooms to sleep in, and tomorrow we can continue, and I'll take you back tomorrow evening." Lena smiles "Sounds like a plan."

Further comment is halted by the sound of Kara's grumbling stomach "But first, dinner!"

***

Kara leads Lena to a dining room while kelex dashes away. The room is smaller, dominated by a long table of dark wood, complete with matching chairs. Lighting the room is a row of softly glowing crystal lamps, giving the impression of candles. Though the table is big enough to seat a dozen, only two places are set at the head of the table, opposite one another.

As they sit down, Kara offers her a glass of wine "This my favorite wine, but even I have to import it personally from Italy, how did you... Kara! You didn't?"

Kara smirks "I did! And... a-n-d... a-a-a-n-d,,," Kara stomps her foot loudly, and Kelex suddenly enters baring a plate of pasta and a bowl of salad, which he sets in front of Lena and departs "Ta-DA! I'm told this is the best pasta in Italy, and since I was in the neighborhood..."

The Pasta smells delicious, but it's the salad that grabs Lena's attention "You bought me KALE!? You have to tell me the name of the restaurant, so I can hack them and download the footage." "Leeena..." Kara whines "I have to, otherwise Alex would never believe me." She smiles as the blond theatrically clutches at her heart "You wound me Lena, you know I'll do anything for you." They're interrupted as the robot returns bearing two huge platters each loaded with pizza slices, Kara had obviously chosen quantity over quality.

Kara's hunger gets the better of her and for a while there's only the sounds of eating. Drowsy and content Lena is even willing to try a slice of vegetarian pizza, it's surprisingly good, and she leans back in her chair, with her eyes closed and the pizza slice still raised in her hand. 

*SNAP* Lena opens her eyes to see a grinning Kara, holding her smartphone "Fair is fair!"

"Luthors don't play fair" She deadpans, then yawns "but this Luthor is too tired. And vengeance is best served cold anyway."

"Oh! Speaking of cold, I got us gelato for dessert!"

After Dinner Kara shows her to a small sparse room, occupied by a closet, a double bed, and a small nightstand. "I'm in the room next to you," Kara assures her "And there's a shower and bathroom through that door. So tell me if you need anything."

"I will. Good night, Kara." Lena wishes her softly "Thank you for... For bringing me here."

"Good night, Lena" Kara lowers her head as she turns walks to her own room, hiding the small smile on her lips.

After using the connected shower, she puts on a dark blue robe she discovers in the closet, which she now realizes as kryptonian in style. Lena is asleep as soon as she hits the bed, the scarf Kara gave in her hand.

***

Lena suddenly wakes without knowing why, until she hears another knock on the door. "Kara? What's wrong?" Kara enters, still in her suit, and Lena can tell she hasn't slept at all.

"It's... The memories. Sometime they keep me up at night. It helps if I can sense someone near me. May I sit in your room? You won't even notice I'm here, I promise."

Lena knows all about nightmares, about monsters wearing familiar faces who wouldn't go away, about a faceless mother who wouldn't come back. She moves closer to the edge of the bed and lifts the corner of her blanket "Come here."

Kara gets in the bed in an instant, though she lies stiff and still on her back. Lena grabs Kara's hand and pulls the blond's arm over her body, drawing her closer. Now both are on their sides, Lena's back to Kara's front.

"I have nightmares too, sometimes," Lena whispers in a hushed voice. "Though I haven't told anyone since I was six. Let's just say Lillian wasn't graceful about being woken in the middle of the night."

Kara presses closer, until the empty space between them is gone, her breath tickles Lena's hair "But you're not alone anymore, you know that right? You have me."

"I'm beginning to. Always?"

"Always."


End file.
